Premier League leader Chelsea is set to tour Australian shores

Premier League leader Chelsea is set to tour Australian shores to help open the new 65,000-seat Perth Stadium next year.

Chelsea will travel to Australia to face A-League side Perth Glory in a pre-season friendly in mid-2018.
Antonio Conte’s Premier League leader is set to tour Australian shores to help open the new 65,000-seat Perth Stadium next year. It will be Chelsea’s only match in Australia ahead of the 2017-2018 Premier League season, as the London side returns Down Under for the first time since beating Sydney FC in a friendly in May 2015.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for Chelsea to play in front of some of our most passionate supporters,” Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said.

“We were delighted with the reception we received in Sydney when we visited in 2015, and now we can look forward to the same in Western Australia. “We anticipate an excellent match against Perth Glory in what promises to be a fantastic new venue for the city.” Glory chief executive Peter Filopoulos added: “This is an enormous opportunity for not only football fans, but sport fans in general, from around the nation and the Asia-Pacific region, to witness one of the best and biggest clubs in the world to play in our own backyard.

“This will not only help grow and foster football in Western Australia but will expose Perth Glory’s brand to a new market and millions of viewers and fans around the globe.
“This will be Chelsea’s only match in Australia during the Hyundai A-League pre-season campaign and will play an important role in Perth Glory’s preparations for the 2018/19 season.”

Chelsea is eight points clear atop the Premier League table after 22 matches, ahead of its trip to title rival Liverpool on Wednesday (AEDT), while Glory is fifth in the 10-team A-League after Saturday’s shock 2-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners.